Balneário Camboriú is a beach in the Brazilian southern state of Santa Catarina. The town, with its steep hills dropping down to the sea, is popular amongst South Americans. The main ocean boulevard is called Avenida Atlântica (Atlantic Avenue). Balneário Camboriú is famous for the cable car which (uniquely in the world) links the two beaches of Balneário Camboriú and Laranjeiras. The town is located 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the city of Itajaí and 80 km (50 mi) north of the state capital, Florianópolis, and has a population of 94,344 (2007 census office estimate), which swells to over one million in the summer.
In a story published in late February 2012 by Forbes magazine [1], about the ascent of electronic music in Brazil, Balneário Camboriú was presented as "the capital of e-music" in the country. According to Forbes, Balneário Camboriú is the home to the two best clubs in Brazil, the Warung club and the Green Valley club, which the publication claims to make up to $1.6 million per night.
The city is served by Ministro Victor Konder International Airport located in the adjoining municipality of Navegantes.
Balneário Camboriú means "Golfo do Mar (Sea Gulf)", in an Amerindian language. Ilha das Cabras (Goats' Island) is directly opposite the city and is too small for inhabitation but is lit at night. Sailings from nearby Laranjeiras Beach take place aboard 17th century-style pirate ships and sail around the island before returning to Laranjeiras. The city also has a statue similar to the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) in Rio de Janeiro, called Cristo Luz, but the one in Balneário Camboriú portrays Jesus with a broad-brimmed hat on his shoulder, which houses a spotlight that shines out to sea. The Cristo Luz is lit at night as well, but with lights that change colours periodically. Another common sight in the city are paragliders that along the beach, alongside the tall buildings, from the gliderport in nearby Praia dos Amores, located 1 km (0.6 mi) to the north of the city. To the west the city is bordered by the Camboriú River, which meets the ocean at the southernmost limit of the central portion of the city, where the cable car (teleférico) mentioned above is located.